Lately I noticed a drop in the ability to cut at settings that used to cut fine. Also a somewhat broadening of the beam like it was slightly defocused.
The optics on the head were clean but I forgot about the exit window on the left of the carriage. This is what I found but have no idea where it came from. It was thick and hard, like burned on grease on the stove top. I thought it was going to require replacing the window, but a lot of soaking with acetone on a swob finally dissolved it.
Now power and focus are back to normal. FYI - when cleaning, don’t forget about the exit port for the laser!
It is best to use the Zeiss wipes, or competition that use alcohols and surfaces that will not damage the lens coatings, as many materials and chemistry can do. I use hand sanitizer on everything else but not on cameras or lenses or windows that pass the laser along.
Those two windows underneath on the left side of the gantry and the left side of the head are most out in the open as smoke passes by, and if the laser is firing at that moment it welds that smoke to the window. This can happen any second that the laser is running based on the probability of the smoke being there. If there is a glob there hit enough by the laser it can damage that window so I give it a routine look most often.
